Vehicle locking device



April 1 1924. 1,488,893

A- PLOUFFE VEHICLE LOCKING DEVICEv Filed `Sept. '7, 192 o Patentes-l .den il, 192e.

ADILARflD PLGFFE, F W'GNSOCKET, RHDE ISl'iliNfD.

`'tilliilCll'llii LOCK'NG DEVICE.

.application filed. September To all whom t may concern.'

Ee it known that l, Animes Pnourrs, citizen of the United States, residing at lll'loonsocket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode island, have invented certain new and useinl Improvements in i7 chicle Locking Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved locking device 'for motor vehicles and seeks, as one oil its principal objects, to provide a device of this character which may be readily applied to either the i'ront or rear wheels oit a vehicle :for etliectually locking them so that unauthorized use or theft. of the vehicle will be prevented.

Si `further object of the invention is to provide a device which will be formed to extend transversely between the pair of iront wheels ot' the vehicle or between the pair ot rear wheels of the vehicle and wherein a single lock will be employed. for lock ing the device applied.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide a device which will be composed of iew and simple parts, may accordingly be produced at moderate cost, and will he adapted tor use in connection with vehicles ot different makes.

@ther and incidental objects will appear hereinafter,

ln the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation showing my iinproved device applied to the trent wheels or" a conventional motor vehicle,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view showing one pair of the wheel engaging jaws of the device closed, the wheel telly, rim and tire being shown in section,

Figure is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the wheel engaging jaws open, and

Figure 4f is a fragmentary section particularly showing the coupling box of the device. l

lin carrying the invention into effect, l employ companion bodybars and secured to the lower sides of said bars at their outer ends are longitudinally bowed stationary jaws 11 provided with terminal laterally directed lugs 12. Mounted to swing upon the outer ends of the bars 10 at their upper sides are coacting substantially llll-shaped jaws 13 pivotally connected to said bars by rivets or other suitable fastening devices 14. The jaws 13 are providedv with long arms 15 and with short arms 16,

7, 1922. Serial No. 588,679.

i the arms 15 being bowed longitudinally and provided with terminal laterally directed lugs 17. is shown in Figure 2, the jaws 13 are movable to closed position overlying the jaws. ll'in registering relation. Slidably comiectinothe body bars `10 is a coupling member or box 18 open at its lower side and formed in the end walls of the box are Slots 19 freely receiving the inner end portions of the bars therethrough. At their inner end portions, these bars are each provided with a series of spaced openings 2O and by shitting the bars endwise one of the openings in one bar may be brought into register with one of the openings of the other bar tov receive-the shackle of a padlock conventionally illustrated at 21.

In order to clearly bring out the manner in which my improved locking device is vemployed yin practical use, I have, in Figure 1 of the drawings, shown the device applied to thefront wheels of a conventional motor vehicle, initially, the jaws 13 are, as sh wn in Figure 3, swung open, when the body bars 10 are shifted outwardly to posi-` tion the stationary jaws 11 at the outer sides of the wheelsfso thatthe wheel tires are received between the jaws 11y and the movable jaws` 13, .the body bars resting against the tire treads. Accordingly, the short arms 16 of the jaws 13 will be brought into engagement with the sides of the tires at the outer sides ot.' the wheels' so that by drawing the body 'bars inwardly upon each other, the short arms of the jaws 13 will be caused to coact with the wheel tires for rocking said jaws to closed position extending about the tires at the inner sides of the wheels while the stationary jaws 11 will be moved to abut the tires at the outer sides of the wheels. each pair of jaws mating and having the lugs 12 and 17 thereof overlapping at the inner face of oneof the wheel ieliies respectively. rThe body bars l0 are then adjusted to tension the jaws in engagement with the wheels and to bring one of the openings 2G in each bar in register ing relation when the lock 21 is engaged through said registering openings to secure the body bars against endwise movement. Accordingly, the device will be securelyy fastened upon the vehicle wheels so that the vehicle cannot travel either forwardly or backwardly while the jaws of the device will grip the tires of the wheels coacting with the wheel Vfellies for locking the wheels against swinging movement and thus prevent the vehicle from beingguided. As will now be seen7 the device may be applied either to the front wheels of the vehicle or to the rear wheels thereof while by providing each of the body bars of the device with a number of spaced openings7 the devices may be adjusted to suit the requirements of different vehicles. The coupling box 1S will, of course, rigidly hold the body bars against angular movementwith respect to each other and will provide a housing for the lock 2l protecting the lock from the weather. lVlien not in use. the lock may, of course, be carried within the vehicle.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A vehicle locking device including relatively slidable companion body bars to extend between a pair of vehicle wheels and provided with jaws to engage under the wheel tellies, means lockingi` the bars together to hold the jaws against displacement, and means slidablv mounted on the bars and housing the locking means.

2. A vehicle locking device including relatively slidable companion body bars to extend between a pair of vehicle wheels and provided with jaws to engage under the wheel fellies, a lock securing` the bars together holding` the jaws against displacement, and a coupling box slidably connecting the bars and housing said lock.

A vehicle locking device including companion body bars to extend between a pair of vehicle wheels and provided at their outer ends with rigid jaws to engage under the wheel fellies and tires at the outer sides of the wheels, coacting jaws pivoted upon the bars to engage under the wheel fellies and tires at the inner sides of the wheels, and having portions engaging against the outer sides of the tires whereby inward movement ot the bars will swing the pivoted jaws into locking engagement with the wheels, and means locking the bars together to hold said jaws against disengagement from the wheels.

et. A wheel-locking device including companion bars, jaws rigid with the outer ends ot' the respective bars and projecting laterally therefrom to embrace the outer side of a wheel tire and telly with the bar eX- tending across the tire, coacting jaws pivoted on the bars at the outer ends thereof to embrace the inner sides of wheel tires and fellies and partly embrace the outer side of the tire, and means 'for locking the inner ends or the bars together whereby to hold the jaws against release.

5. A, wheel-locking device including companion bars, jaws rigid wit-h the outer ends of the bars and constructed to engage the outer side of a wheel tire and telly, coacting jaws pivoted on the bars at the outer ends thereof and having a long arm to engage the inner side of a whe-el tire and felly and a short arm to lie beside the base of the rigid jaw and engage a portion of the outer side of the tire, and means for locking the bars together whereby to hold the y jaws against release.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

ADILARD PLOUFFE. L. s]

In presence oil- Anrsrmn DUBOIS, OvILA E. PROULX. 

